INFRASTRUCTURE
Land, Sea and Air
Getting around the island is not a problem as there exist great number of car hire and taxi operators to commute at your convenience, and if you prefer public transport, there is also the bus services which is reasonable cheap. Taxis are available at the Airport and at different taxi bays around the island, prices usually calculated by meter. Taxi cabs are also easy to find at all the major hotels.
Hired cars is usually the most efficient means to go around. There are several car hire operators based at the airport and around the main island. To hire a car the driver must be in possession of a full driving license. A deposit is usually required.
Seychelles only public transport are the buses which is run by the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation. Bus services on Mahe and Praslin are reasonably reliable. On the main roads crossing the islands there is usually a bus once every half an hour, sometimes even every fifteen or ten minutes. The price is reasonable, but, however, take note that there is the morning and evening rush hour.
There is 6 conveniently situated petrol stations around Mahe at Grand Anse junction; Anse Royal; Pte Larue; Baie Lazar; Roch Caiman and Beau Vallon.
Seychelles second island, Praslin, is about 60 minutes boat ride away on board a fast catamaran service, or a 15 minute flight, via the regular Air Seychelles inter island service, with runs throughout the day.
Island hopping helicopter flights are offered by two helicopter charter companies and Air Seychelles provides both scheduled and charter flights to many of the air strips equipped on the outer islands. Visitors with more time on their hands can cruise around the archipelago on board of a sail boat provided by one of the numerous yacht charter companies operating out of the Mahe and Praslin.
International air links Air links to major capitals in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa are provided by the national carrier Air Seychelles, while a number of internationally respected airlines operate to the islands through major hubs, such as Paris, London, Dubai, Nairobi, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa making almost any major city only one or two stop flights from Seychelles.
Victoria Harbour
Seychelles has a good network of shipping links connecting with major shipping hubs of the world. A number of shipping lines use Seychelles for transhipment and bunkering purposes. The Seychelles Port Authority http://www.seyport.sc/ owns and manages all ports in Seychelles. Seychelles is known for its deep water port and fully meets the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). There is currently an ongoing modernisation and expansion program, which the Port Authority is undertaking together with some private investment partners.
This will help to make Port Victoria the most competitive and efficient Port in the Region. In line with the international regulation, Port Victoria has been declared safe by the IMO based on the new International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code.
Port Victoria is equipped with modern cargo handling equipment including mobile cranes, front-end handlers/reach stackers, container handling forklifts, specialised terminal tractors and trailers, and self-loading container trucks. The terminal has a total area of 9,600 square meters and covered storage space of 6,600 square meters. With an extensive space for container handling, it handles almost all of the nation’s external trade and plays host to many cruise ships.
